The Enchanted Academy: Snowing In Fall
by Piper Emerald
Summary: Same old classic stories, same old classic characters, the only problem is that they're in Middle School! Mary Margaret is the new kid at The Enchanted Academy, there she meets popular boy James Nolan, and Regina, the principal's daughter who practically runs the school. Will the they be able to survive Middle School? A collaborative story. (I own nothing.) Snowing and Rumbelle.
1. A New Day

_Damn, did summer have to be over already?_ James thought as he pulled himself out of bed. He glanced at the clock, it was 6:00. He felt like a zombie, more asleep than awake.

It took him about fifteen minutes to get ready and choke down some eggs. His mother was a terrible cook, but he wasn't allowed to say so. Eggs weren't that bad, but he stuffed the bacon in his napkin when no one was looking. His parents insisted on driving him, even though the middle school was within walking distance. He figured that was better than wasting his energy on walking or biking.

* * *

Mary Margret rubbed the haze from her eyes as she gulped down her breakfast. If she said that she wasn't nervous, she would be lying. She hated being the new kid. Her family moved around a lot, and it was hard for her to get used to one place. The one thing that she was used to was being the new girl.

As she grew older the other students grew less accepting. They had their friends, and no one was expected to let her in to their group. Seventh grade, she sighed. Junior High School, in the end it means nothing.

The car ride was unbearable, it's like that every time. The nerves that had been building up all summer had finally exploded in her face. She tried not to show it, the last thing that she wanted to do was worry her parents. Her mother tried to make her feel better, but she didn't feel like talking.

She slowly walked down the halls, people glanced her way. She wished that she could disappear, her mother had offered to home school her, but she wouldn't hear of it; maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

The first day's never that bad. The teachers try to get to know you instead of forcing you to learn anything, that can wait for the next day. James was able to say hi and talk to his friends a little before they heading to Homeroom. He didn't mind being late, but it getting on a teachers bad side on the first day was just dumb.

"So what did you do all summer?" Asked Jonathan, one of James's friends, as the walked down the hall.

"Nothing, being bored to death." Sighed Michael.

"Same here."

"What about you, James?"

"Visiting family, nothing much."

"Your family lives in Hawaii, that's not nothing much."

"Yeah, I guess it was nice. It would have been better if it lasted a few more weeks."

"I think I would go insane if we had a few more weeks", blabbed Michael.

"Dude, you already are insane!" Joked Jonathan. Michael gave him a punch on the arm before they went into the classroom.

The teacher told the class to take there seats moments after James arrived. He began a long lecture, and James's mind began to wander. His eye's gazed over the class. He had known most of these kids since third grade. Not that they were boring, but few of them were interesting.

That was when he saw her. Sitting a few desks away for him was a girl with raven hair and hazel eyes. He knew he hadn't seen her before, she wasn't someone he would forget.

He jotted down a note and handed it Alan, who was siting in front of him. The note read: _Who's the girl in the desk next to Belle?_

Alan checked to make sure that the teacher wasn't looking at him before passing the note back to me. _That's the new kid, I think her name's Marry Margret._

James slipped the note into his pocket. He looked back at Mary Margret, he couldn't seem to take my eyes off her.

The next few classes slipped by. James's friends didn't seem to notice how distracted he was. He couldn't stop thinking about Mary Margret. He wasn't a sucker for girls like his friends were, but there was something different about her. This sounded dumb, he hadn't even talked to the girl.

His sat a few desks away from her in math. She really was beautiful. More beautiful than any of the other girls, including Regina Mills. Mary Margret looked exactly like what he pictured an angel to look like.

"Now, Mr. Nolan, what is the answer to GC-77?" It took him moment to realized that the teacher was asking him.

"Oh...er..." He glanced at the board. "Forty-five?" There was a ripple of laughter. _Yep_, he thought. _Summer is definitely over._

* * *

**Hi everyone! This is a collaborative that I am writing with Scarlet Phlame. I'll be writing the Snowing point of view and she'll be writing the Stable Queen point of view. It's the same story, just through different eyes so you can get the whole story.**

**Here's the link to first chapter of The Enchanted Academy: The Queen:**

** wwwdotfanfictiondotnet/s/8925589/1/Enchanted-Academy-The-Queen**

**And to Scarlet Phlame's profile:**

** wwwdotfanfictiondotnet/u/4366547/Scarlet-Phlame**

**replace "dot" with "."**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. And It's Beginning To Snow

Once the Math was over James made it his job to find Mary Margret. He normally hung out with the group of boys the whole day, he wondered if he could slip away for a few minutes. No, that was impossible, he was normally the center of most conversations. He was the Prince of Middle School and, sometimes, it could be a pain in the cat.

James ended up telling Alan that he had a headache and wanted to be left alone for the rest of the day. Alan told this to Dan, who told Jonathan, who told Michael, who told the world. Who says boys don't gossip?  
James wandered around the hall a little before he spotted Mary Margret. She was standing alone and seemed like she might be lost. This was a perfect opportunity.  
He walked up to her, trying to shake the odd nervous feeling that had sprung up on him. "Hi", he said to her smiling like an idiot. "Your the new girl, Mary, right?"  
"It's Mary Margaret", she stated. "But everyone calls me Mary."  
"Well hello, Mary Margaret. I'm James. You look a little lost, could I help with anything?"  
"No, I was just-" They heard a noise from down the hall, then a girl shot past them and into the girls bathroom. It was Regina. She had been bawling very loudly as she passed them. They both stared after her, James wonder what she would be crying about. This was extremely unlike Regina, and she was lucky that they were the only ones around.  
"I need to get to class." Said Mary Margaret, and like that she was gone. James stood there for a moment watching her go. He felt as if his life had just started. He had just met this girl, but he couldn't shake the thought that he was falling in love.

* * *

Mary Margaret pulled herself into the car, not bothering to look back at the school. She didn't look out the window until they were a good few blocks away. She was exhausted!

"How was your first day of school, honey?" Her mother asked. She was a tall woman with long black hair and a bright, but worn-out smile. If it wasn't for her blue eyes she would looked exactly like her daughter.  
Mary had her fathers eye's. He was a sweet man, but was slower than his wife, and maybe even his daughter. That didn't bother them, though. They were a happy family and were always full of hope and adventure.  
"School was fine, Mom." Mary said trying not to sound dreary.  
"Did you make any friends?"  
"No, not yet."  
"Are you teachers nice?"  
"I think so, I can't really tell yet."  
"Did you meet anyone interesting?" She couldn't tell quite what her mother meant by "interesting". She thought about that boy she had talked to, James was his name. Then about that girl who had ran down the hall crying.  
"No, no one interesting."  
"Sweetie, we're going to try to make things work here." Her mother's tone had changed, Mary knew that this talk was coming.  
"I know, Mom."  
"I know how hard it must be for you to keep constantly moving, but we're going to really try this time."  
"I understand." She didn't want to let her parents down. Maybe this could be their home, maybe Dad would get a job and Mom would be happy here. There wasn't anything wrong with the place, after all.  
"I like it her, Mom", she found her self saying. "Maybe this'll be the one." That was what her mother needed to hear, and that was what she wanted to believe.

* * *

James was temped to ask Regina about what he had seen the other day, but decided it would be best to leave it alone. He didn't want to get on Regina's bad side, and if she was going through something she wouldn't be very tolerant. No, it would be best to avoid her for the next day of two.  
He did notice her mess up in science in front of the whole class. Well, you'd have to be a sleep not to notice, and yes at least three students had dozed off in science before. No one had laughed and it wasn't spoken of afterwards. It seemed that everyone knew enough not to anger her.  
James didn't get another chance to talk to Mary that day. He wondered if he had made a good impression on her. He couldn't help but feel anger towards Regina for ruining his moment. He knew she hadn't know, or cared for that matter, but she was someone to blame.  
It seemed that these days everything was someones fault, and everyone had joined in the blame game. It's probably another one of those things that is supposed to happen at this age, he told himself. Those things that his parents could go on and on about.  
That didn't matter, at least he had a chance to talk to her. He doubted that after that one conversation she had though anything of him, but that was ok. For now.

* * *

**Thank you to my reviewer, reginamillz and OncerSwarekJateBazeGirlscout 22!**


	3. A Collision Of Fate

Mary Margaret made her way down the hall. She hadn't made any friends, or even talked to that many people. It wasn't as if she was shy, it was just that no one had made much of an effort to include her.  
Mary Margaret snapped back to reality, and realized that she was lost. She had Spanish next, but had no idea where the classroom was. She glanced at her watch, she only had a few minutes and she didn't want to be late.

BANG.

Mary found herself sprawled on the flour. Across from her was the girl that she had banged into, Mary recognized her as the girl the she had seen crying in the hall the other day. She offered Mary her hand and helped her up.  
"Sorry, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." The girl smiled at her apology.  
"Neither was I."  
"Oh, sorry, I go bumping into people, and I don't even introduce myself. I'm Mary Margaret, but everyone calls me Mary." She held out her hand for the girl to shake, she paused for a second before shaking.  
"I'm Regina," She said warmly. "Is this your first year here? I've never seen you here before, I think."  
"Oh, yes, well, it is my first year here as a matter of fact. Actually, it's kind of good I bumped into you, I was looking for Spanish class. Could you point me in the right direction?"  
"Spanish is down that hall", she pointed as she spoke.  
"Thank you", Mary said before rushing down the hall.

She looked up and down the hall, but couldn't seem to find the classroom. Regina said that it was here, so where was it? She glanced at here watch again, she needed to get to class. She started to run.  
She ran strait into a girl, at least neither of them fell this time. "Oh, sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Mary apologized.  
"Oh, no, it isn't any problem." The girl smiled at her.  
"I've been crashing into people all day. It's my first year here."  
"Hey, it's no problem. What class are you headed to? You seem a little lost, not to be mean or anything." She was right about her being lost.  
"Well, I was trying to find Spanish."  
"Well, funny thing, I have Spanish too. Do you want to walk with me there?"  
"Of course", she was relived that the girl had offered.  
"I'm Ruby, nice to meet you," the girl said, holding out her a hand for Mary to shake.  
"I'm Mary Margaret," she shook her hand as she said this.  
"Oh, Spanish is down that hall." Mary insides did a flip as Ruby said this.  
"I was heading down the wrong direction. That's odd, the girl I met earlier said it was that way. What was her name... Regina." Mary didn't notice Ruby scoff at the mention of Regina.  
"Regina... yeah, she's really popular around here, so much, as a matter of fact, it's like she owns the place," Ruby said mildly. "Well, anyway, let's get to Spanish." Ruby began to walk a little faster. Mary matched her strides as she asked: "But why would she point me in the wrong direction?"  
"It was probably just some sorta joke. That's what girls like her do."  
"Oh." Mary didn't know what to say next, but she was starting to figure out who to trust here.

Mary had told her mother that she wanted to take the bus instead of being picked up and dropped off. She knew that it would be easier on her parents if they didn't have to worry about get her to and from school. When she walked onto the bus she noticed Ruby siting alone. She had been hoping that they would get another chance to talk, so she sat down next to her. Ruby looked up, startled a moment later.  
"Oh, sorry, I uh, didn't notice you were there", Mary shook her head and smiled.  
"Don't worry, I was kind of spacing out there," she said. "Is anyone sitting here? Should I-" she motioned to the empty seats around them.  
"Oh, no, there's no need, no one ever really sits by me." That was sad, come to think of it Mary hadn't seem Ruby talking to anyone else. She knew that at many schools there were nice kids who ended up with no friends.  
"Oh, well, that's a shame", was all that she managed to say. Ruby's eyes were still gazing out the window.  
"Do you take any extra-curricular activities?" Ruby asked a few moments later.  
"I used to take archery and fencing at my old school, do they have anything like that here?" Mary hoped that they did, she needed something to keep her busy.  
"Yeah, they have a lot of stuff here. I'm pretty sure they have both those things. Did you know they have tracking classes?" Mary found this funny.  
"Why would you need to know how to track?"  
"Don't know... isn't like we live in the wood or anything, right? I don't even think there's a forest around here."  
"Do you take anything?" Mary inquired.  
"Yeah, I take Music and Dance. I'm sort of a Broadway geek," Ruby let out a nervous laugh. Mary smiled, seeing nothing wrong with being interested in theater.  
It was nice to be talking to someone.  
"That sounds really fun. I wish I could sing, but I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to stuff like that", Mary said. This was true, she hated to listen to herself sing.  
The bus pulled to a slow stop and Mary glanced out the window.  
"Oh, it's my stop now."  
"I'll see you later then?" Ruby asked her. Mary flashed her new friend a smile and nodded.  
"See you tomorrow," she said as she walked off the bus.  
Mary turned back and waved at Ruby as the bus pulled away. She smiled to herself and thought: Maybe this place will be the one.

* * *

**Thank you to my followers and to Viky16melendez for reviewing.**


	4. Spying

A day had passed since Mary Margaret had met Ruby, and nothing else interesting had happened to her. She looked at her watch as she made her way to Study Skills. Mary held a map of the school in her hand, not wanting a repeat of the Spanish Class incident.

Mary hadn't told her parents about that. She didn't want to have to worry them. Unlike most kids her age, she was close to her parents, but they were busy settling out the move. When her mother asked her if she had made any friends, she did mention Ruby.

During class she couldn't help but feel bored. She pulled a piece of paper from her notebook and wrote: Hi! Are you paying attention, because I'm finding it hard to. Can I sit next to you on the bus again? -Mary

She folded it and, when the teacher's back was turned, she threw it at Ruby. It hit her in the head. Not a bad shot, but she wasn't aiming for her head.

Mary watched Ruby read the note. She shot a smile in her direction. Mary took this as a yes. She tried to focus on the lesson, but was distracted by the warm feeling inside of her. She had only know Ruby for a day, but she couldn't help but feel that, for the first time, she had found a true friend.

James pretended that he was paying attention, when really his thoughts were else where. He hadn't had another chance to talk to Mary Margaret. Not like he knew what he would say to her. That didn't change the fact that she was always on his mind.

None of his friends had noticed how lovesick he had become. He had many distractions, like being captain of a football team that hadn't won a game in years. That seemed to be the only thing that his friends cared about, it used to be the only thing that he cared about.

It's funny how fast one's world can change completely. Adults would say that it's just a part of growing up. That's what they say about everything.

James sat in class, trying hard to stop staring at Mary. At least she didn't notice, nobody noticed.

At lunch James sat with the usual group of boys. They talked about how boring Study Skills was, the football team, how their parents were always on their case, et cetera. That was when Lilly Jensen came over to there table. James shared a few classed with Lilly, so they weren't exactly stargazers.

"Hey, James could I talk to you?" She asked.

"Um...yeah", a few of the other boys stopped talking to listen in on the conversation.

"You know Katherine, right?" Lilly asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, I know her." James answered, in a louder tone than Lilly.

"You know, she has a huge crush on you." Lilly giggled, and ran back to her table.

"What was that about?" James asked Jonathan.

"Apparently Katherine likes you." He said, trying and falling at hiding a laugh.

"Dude you should ask her out!" Said Michael loudly.

"Naw", James replied. "I'm sure Lilly's just making that up."

"There's only one way to find out", Jonathan nudged James. He felt his insides turn.

"Yeah!" Said Michael.

"How about I'll ask her if she likes you, and if she says yes then you half to ask her out." Jonathan decided.

"Yeah!" Said Michael and a few other boys.

"Fine", James said. He just hoped that Lilly was wrong.

James walked down the hall, not really caring where he was going or where he was supposed to be. He took this moment to watch other students scurry to class or casually walk by. He noticed one kid in particular, James thought his name was Whale. Yeah, it was, that's not the sort of name one forgets easily.  
Regina was walking up to Whale, he didn't see her coming.

"Whale?" Uh-oh, Regina talking to the likes of him was never a good thing. James couldn't help but want to watch this.

"What the hell are you hiding from me?" Poor Regina didn't know that swearing doesn't make you cool. It does help, though.

"Nothing." Whale was clutching a leather notebook that, apparently, Regina wanted.

"It can't be nothing, you idiot!" That was a pretty mild insult coming from her of all people. One of her friends pulled the notebook out of Whale's hands. Looks like this fish wasn't strong, if a girl could take his book from him.  
She read a little bit of whatever was in the book, and whispered something in Regina's ear. Girls liked to whisper,

James didn't really get it. He could see a apple-red blush spread on Regina's cheeks. Whale was a dead man walking.

"How dare you!" Passerby scattered. James ducked behind some lockers, not wanting to miss the end of this. He really wanted to know what was written in that book.

"How dare you write such...UGH!" Regina fumed. James's curiosity for what was written in that book grew.

It a flash Regina pulled back her arm and landed a punch on Whale's cheek. Ow, James didn't want to be him. Whale feel backwards, and a smirk spread over Regina's face.

"I told you to watch out for me. You should've expected something like this to happen. You're such a fool." Regina remarked. She was right, if you mess with The Queen of Mean, then you're gonna get it.

Whale laughed, which caught James off guard.

"No, you've only made a fool of yourself." He pulled himself up off the ground, and strolled over to his locker. "This..." He took out something that looked a camera. "This is a video camera. It's recorded the entire fight and conversation."  
Wow, well played, James thought. "Wonder what might might happen if dear Mother were to find out." Blackmail, Whale was playing a dangerous game.

"H...How..." Regina stammered. Regina NEVER stammered.

"How do you think? I'm smarter than you by far." That was a little much, no one ever talked to Regina like that.

"What do you want?" Regina's friend, Malerie, sneered.

"I want her to leave me and my brother alone." Regina snorted at this. "You're always putting us down!" Yeah, and you're supposed to put up with it, like the rest of the school does, James thought to himself.

"Fine..." Regina said, not like she had much of a choice.

"Very well, I'll delete the footage." Whale turned to leave. He didn't seem to notice James when he passed him.

Malerie whispered something in Regina's ears, and Regina smiled. James heard her say: "Do you really think I would let him slip away with something like that?" Regina would never change, and Whale was about to get a good taste of reality. James wondered if he should warn him, but decided against it. Whale could solve his own problems without him having to jeopardize his social life. He glanced at his watch, he was late for class.

* * *

**Sorry I haven't posted in so long.**

**Thank you to reginamillz, Viky16melendez, and Sam!**

**I'll try to post the next chapter soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Things Couldn't Get Worse

James could see a few girls giggling at lunch that day. Regina was one of them, that meant trouble. Regina's pranks were known to be heartless and humiliating, but, if you weren't the one being pranked, they could also be kinda funny.

"Hey", James said to Skye, one of Regina's friends. "What's going on?" She looked up at him, realizing that he meant what was going on with her leader.  
"I'm not, sure. You'll have to just wait and see."

"Ok", James headed back to his own table. He watched were Regina was looking. He followed her gaze and his eye's met Whale.

Of course she was getting back at him. Whale was talking to a girl wearing red. James didn't know her that well, she was a loner. Althougth, he remembered seeing her talking to Mary Margaret. Come to think of it, she seemed to be Mary's only friend. That was a shame.

He continued to watch the two talk. They paused their conversation and each took a bight of their food.

The both of their faces turned a bright shade of red, and James realized what Regina's prank had been. Regina and Malerie high-fived as they watched this. Some kids laughed, other joined in when they realized who was behind the prank. It was always safe to stay on Regina's good side. This proved that even more.

* * *

Xander watched the ghost pepper fiasco for a distance. He remembered wondering why Regina had wanted ghost peppers. Not that it mattered to him, he would find out soon enough. Of course he had some, and if he hadn't he could come across some easily.

Regina had been willing to pay quite a sum for them, so they had to be important to her. Pranking Whale must have been her top priority. He wondered what Whale had done that made Regina decide that he deserved this. Not that it was unusual for Regina to bully someone like him. Loners could make good targets.

Being a loner, Xander knew this more than anyone. He was smart enough to give them a reason not to bully him. He was a loner with power and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Mary laid in her bed, overwhelmed by boredom. She had a slight cold, and her mother had suggested that she stay home for the day. There was nothing for her to do, but lie in bed waiting for the hours to pass. A nice way to wast a perfectly good day.

* * *

"She said that she likes you", Jonathan told James a few minutes after they witnessed the prank. James had dreaded this news. He could always tell the guys that he liked someone else, but it seemed to late for that now. Besides, if he said that they would want to know who, and none of them would approve of him liking the new girl. It just wasn't what was expected of the captain of the football team.

"You gotta ask her out", Michael said excitedly.

"Yeah", Alan added. "Ask her out today." James didn't know what to do. He couldn't say no, not now.

"Fine", he blurted out.

"Right now!"

"No."

"If you don't right now then you'll be too chicken to ask her later." Said Jonathan. James wished that he could say that he was too chicken to ask her now.

"Ok,what table is she sitting at?"

"Over there", Jonathan pointed. James sighed, he better get this over with.

* * *

James threw his backpack on the ground and plopped down on the couch. This had been the worst day of his life. Nothing was going right.

After he had made conversation with Katherine, he had summoned the nerve to ask her out, still hoping that she would say no. She hadn't said no, she had blushed and said yes! Now James's life was in shambles.

He had only ever talked to Mary once, but he knew that he was in love with her. Now his so called friends had pressured him into asking out another girl. And she had said yes. She had said yes. Why?

Why did she even like him? It's not like he knew her that well. Maybe it was just because he was popular. That had to be it.

Why was this happening to him? He hated his friends for putting him up to it. He hated her for saying yes. He hated Lilly for telling him this information in the first place. But most of all he hated himself.

Why couldn't he just admit that he liked Mary?

He knew the answer.

Because she probably didn't like him back.


	6. Birthday

Today was Mary's birthday. She was happy that she had recovered from here cold, now she could enjoy the day. Her mom had bought cookies for her to give out to her homeroom, Mary knew that her mother secretly hoped that this would help her make friends. Nothing says "like me" better than a plate of cookies.

Ruby was absent that day, maybe she also had a cold. This was a disappointment to Mary. Ruby was her only friend, and she didn't want to have to spend her birthday by herself.

The class seemed to like the cookies, of course, all kids their age liked pretty much anything with sugar. One of the boys, James was his name, had smiled at her. She remembered having a small conversation with him on the first day.

That had been odd, because he was one of the popular kids, who didn't normally wast time talking to the new girl. She didn't mean to rely on a stereo type, but she was getting the seance that this school was built around stereo types.

During her lunch period, she gave out the left over to teachers. She decided to offer one to the school's principal. Mary hadn't had the chance to meet the Principal, yet.

She wasn't sure what to expect. She knew that Regina was the Principal's daughter, and wasn't sure if she took after her mother or not. This was a better way to meet the Principal than how most students here did. Not that Mary expected to get into trouble any time soon.

* * *

Xander Gold sat alone at lunch, as he did in all of his classes. The upside of having no friends was that he didn't have to deal with petty drama that other Middle Schoolers obsessed over. He didn't have to make sacrifices for anyone but himself.

The down side was that he could get lonely. Then again who wasn't lonely, everyone around him was truly alone. He was just the only one who realized it.

* * *

The Principal was one of the nicest women that Mary had ever met. Cora Mills was her name, but, of course, everyone was supposed to call her Mrs. Mills or Principal Mills. That was common seance.

Mary wouldn't have know that she was Regina's mother if she hadn't have been told so. This woman was nothing like her cold hearted daughter, she was just so warm hearted. She could be the queen of hearts!

* * *

Today was Mary's birthday, and James wanted to be able to say something to her. Even if it was just "happy birthday", at least it would be some what of a conversation. This was great, now he had an excuse to talk to her.

"Hey, Mary", they were walking to class, when he decided to approach her.

"Hi", she smiled, but he could tell that she was wondering why he was talking to her.

"Happy Birthday."

"Oh, thanks. You're the first person who isn't a teacher to say that to me." She said sheepishly.

"Really?" That wasn't to surprising, but he tried to sound at least a little surprised.

"It's no big deal, not many people know me here. Do you know what happened to Ruby?" Ruby must be the name of her friend, the "Little Red Riding Hood" girl.

"I don't think anyone's seen her since the ghost pepper prank."

"What?" Mary hadn't been there that day.

"Oh, Regina pranked this kid named Whale, and I guess Ruby was in the way or something. She put ghost peppers in their burgers."

"That's terrible! Who would think that was funny?"

"Pretty much the whole school." He said honestly.

"Even you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Um, no. No, I don't think it's funny at all." James sputtered.

"How come Regina can get away with anything she wants?"

"She's the principals daughter, and the most popular girl in school."

"You're the most popular boy, can you get away with anything?"

"No, it doesn't work that way." Girls were more into the whole hierarchy thing, but he didn't want to say that out loud.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Regina runs the school, she always has and she always will. End of story." Why did Mary care anyway? It's not like Regina had targeted her.

"I think someone should do something to stop her." She said stubbornly.

"Like what?"

"I don't know! Just something."

"Well, if you think of anything, let me know."

"Ok", she said as we reached our class.

James smiled to himself as he went inside. He had a real conversation with Mary Margaret.

* * *

Xander sat at the back of the classroom, most people underestimated the back of the room. You can see everything, and everyone, from there. For instance, he could see James, the prince of the school, talking to Mary Margaret, the new girl, as they walked in.

He could see James watching her for the rest of the class. He could see they way that James was looking at her. Yes, the back of the classroom had it's advantages.

Xander now had a new valuable piece of information, that he could use at anytime.

* * *

**Thank you to Scarlet Phlame, OncerSwarekJateBazeGirlscout 22, and Viky16melendez, for reviewing. **


	7. A Sadly Timed Explosion

Unlike most of the other students, Xander wasn't careless and was always aware of his surroundings. He was always where he needed to be when he needed to be there. It wasn't being an over achiever, it was being practical.

That was what made the situation so unbelievable. The girl seemed to have come out of no where, her noise was in a book, so she wasn't looking where she was going. Xander had arrived early for class and was staring out into space, thinking about nothing in particular. She had ran strait in to him, nocking both of them to the ground.

Passers by didn't see anything odd about this. People ran into each other every so often, and, since chivalry was dead, it never occurred to them to stop and see if their peers on the ground were alright.

"I am so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Apologized the girl. Xander looked up to say something, but completely lost his train of thought. He did know this girl, he knew everyone, but he had never had the chance to talk to her before. Belle French was her name, he wondered how he had gone so long without talking to her.

"No, no. It's my fault", he said kindly. They both picked up their things in a hurry, so as not to be stepped on. "I think that this is your's", he said handing her the book that she had been reading.

"Thank you", she said with a smile. "You're Xander right?" Xander nodded.

"I'm Belle", she extended her hand for him to shake. Unlike most of the other girls their age, she had a nice, firm handshake. He glanced at the title of the book she had been reading.

"Moby Dick?"

"Yeah, I don't know how I've gone this long without reading it. I'm sort of a book nerd."

"It's a bit of a downer, just to warn you."

"So I've heard. Have you read it?"

"I think I did last year." They both stood up now. Xander knew that Belle didn't have any friends. If there was one thing that he could keep track of it was who was a loner, a nerd, or a geek, and who was cool, popular, or even just plain normal.

He didn't know how as pretty girl like her be friendless for this long. Then again, she seemed smarter than most of the other kids. Sometimes brains were avoided.

"Did you like it?" Belle was asking about the book.

"It was pretty good." Xander wasn't a big reader, but did read more than the average seventh grader. Not as much as this girl did, though.

"I better get to class, I'll see you around." She said to him.

"Bye." Was all that he could say.

* * *

Mary had been Regina's science partner for about a week. It had been terrible, but in the end she had gotten through the project with a pass able grade. She was glad that they were getting new partners that day. Mary didn't expect to get anyone who would work hard, no one at the school really cared about grades.

* * *

Spying was becoming a habit. James was a little ashamed, but he couldn't help but being proud that he hadn't been caught. Regina and that boy thought that they were alone in the hall.

"Love you", Regina said to the boy as she pressed a kiss on his cheek. James was shocked. "Oh, no, I have to go... I promised Mary that I would meet her at the Science lab to help her with her project..."

"No, it's perfectly understandable. I'll see you later." The boy said.

What was that? James thought to himself. See, that's what you get when you but into things that aren't your business. He wasn't sure what to thing of this.

* * *

James and Mary were science partners. This was like a dream for James. He was actually beginning to like school, and that was saying something. The bad thing was that he sucked a science.

* * *

The new project was simple enough, but that was only because their teacher liked to give them instructions step by step. She had no idea that half on the class would have been on step three if she would just stop over explaining step one. Mary and James were one of the first ones to finish, although Mary wasn't sure if James understood all of it.

James joked around a little as they were waiting. He was a nice kid, nicer than most of the popular boys. He liked to make people laugh, but not in a mean way. Mary still couldn't help but feeling a little awkward during the conversation.

She noticed that Ruby was sitting alone, she seemed like she was done with part one of the project. "Ruby, I didn't notice you, would you like to join us?" She asked her friend.

"I... I, um...", Ruby stuttered, Mary figured that this meant that she would rather stay where she was. She gave a little shrug and went back to what she was doing.

Before anyone knew what was going on, there was a loud explosion. Ruby was thrown to the ground and several students were blown back. There was smoke everywhere. Mary rushed to her friend's side. What had happened?

* * *

Xander knew what had happened, and who had started that explosion. It was that idiot Whale, he was to be getting himself into a lot of trouble lately. No wonder he had no friends.

Xander doubted that the science teacher knew that Whale was behind it. She was as dumb as most of students here. How on Earth did someone like her land a job at this school?

He fanned smoke away for his face. Who sets the school on fire by accident? This just aggravated him.

Whale needed to be taught a lesson, even if this meant that Xander might need to team up with Regina to put him in his place.

* * *

**I'm sorry that I didn't mention this before, but I'm writing Gold's POV as well as Snow and Charming.**

**Thanks so much to Scarlet Phlame, OncerSwarekJateBazeGirlscout 22, and Viky16melendez, for reviewing. ;-)**


	8. Setting Fire To The Rain

The lab had been on fire. Mary sat alone in her room, thinking about what had happened. About how close to danger she had just been.

She shrugged off her parents attempts to talk to her. She could barely process what had happened and didn't want to have to relive any of it. Mary wondered if everyone was ok, if anyone had gotten hurt. She couldn't bare to think of what might have happened if the fire had the chance to spread.

* * *

Xander thought that he had know what had happened, but he hadn't realized that the lab was on fire. His brain had been in shock while he was watching it. He had thought of how angry just the explosion had made him, but part of him had closed itself off to the fire.

He was at home now, but he couldn't shake the memories for hit mind. He had never been that shocked and sacred in his life. He could still see himself, standing there staring at the flames, not full registering what was going on.  
After a few moments, he sprang to action, bolting towards the door. He had kept running until he was a good distance away from the classroom. Then he had collapsed.

Xander felt a rush of fear and anger as he remembered what had happened. He knew that he could have died if he had stay there longer, or if the exit had been blocked. He wanted to kill the one that he knew had started this.

* * *

James had once boasted that he wasn't afraid of anything. Now he didn't care that he had been proven wrong. He had been more afraid that day than he had in his whole life.

At least he was ok. At least Mary was ok. He told himself these things, thinking that they would calm him down. They didn't.

* * *

Mary doubted there would even be school the next day. She found herself hoping that there was. Being there would show her that, although the fire had happened, everyone had recovered. But she didn't know that for sure. Her parents told her that they doubted that anyone had been seriously hurt, but they hand't been there.

* * *

James's could still see the whole event. He played it again and again it his mind. They had been blown back by the force of the explosion. Mary had ran to her friend, who had been thrown to the ground. James knew that they needed to get out of there.

He could see the little flames staring, they wouldn't stay little for long. He helped Mary pull her friend to her feet. Smoke was everywhere, and it was hard for him to see the doorway.

James could tell that Mary and Ruby were having the same problem. He knew the direction of the exit. He grabbed Mary's arm and pointed to the direction of the door. She nodded her head to show she understood. James half lead half pulled the two out of the the classroom. They took sharp gasps of breath as they tired to clear the smoke from their lungs.

James couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. He was proud that he had been able to get himself and the girls out safely.

* * *

James had practically saved Mary's life. He had the chance to leave, but instead he had made sure that her a Ruby had made it out safely. He was a real hero. She wished that she had the chance to thank him.

* * *

James phone was ringing, he glanced at it before putting it down. It was Katherine. She was probably worried, but he didn't feel like talking, not to her.

Why did life hate him so much? The best day ever had suddenly turned to a near death experience. Why couldn't things just go right for once?

* * *

**Thanks again to Scarlet Plhame and Viky16melendez for reviewing.**


	9. Life Goes On

Xander was sting on his couch trying to focus on his homework. His leg was propped up on a pillow. He had badly hurt his ankle on the day of the fire. The doctor had said that the reason that he couldn't feel it at first was because his muscles were in shock. The doctor had offered him the choice of either using a cane or crutches, he had chosen the cane, for it seemed more practical. His foot would probably heal by the end of the school year.

* * *

Mary saw Ruby siting alone in the Cafeteria, and quickly took a seat next to her.

"Hi, Ruby", she said with a smile.

"Hi, I'm so thirsty." Mary razed an eyebrow.

"Then why don't you go get some water?" She asked sensibly.

"Too lazy." Mary gave a small laugh, and was about to say that the water fountain wasn't that far away, when she spotted Regina Mills coming their way.

"Hi, Regina", she said in a small voice, staring at the vegetables on her plate.

"Hello, Mary, dear." The tone Regina was using made Mary cringe inwardly, but she fought hard to keep a strait face. She gave a small nervous laugh, waiting for Regina to pass their table. To her surprise, Regina sat down next to her. Mary looked at Ruby who seemed just as confused, she gave her friend a little shrug and returned her gaze to her food.

"So, I heard about the fire in the Science laboratory", Regina said with a smile so fake it was frightening.

"Yeah", Mary said. "I-"

"So, did you happen to know who started the fire?" Regina asked, the cool tone that she was using seemed to mask an emotion that Mary couldn't read.

"No", both Mary and Ruby answered.

"Oh, I see, of course you wouldn't be comfortable recalling it. But, really, you can tell me anything, I'm totally here to listen." Mary repressed the urge to scoff at those words.

"No, I think that's okay", Mary waved her hand as she spoke.

"Oh, but are you sure, I mean, it must have been very upsetting to see the school in flames before your very eyes." Regina sounded like a reporter inches away from a career starting story.

"It... well, It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience", Mary stammered.

"Of course not, but... You know, you'd be doing a service to the school if you just told me who set the fire. I mean, it'd make it safer. As head of the service committee, it's my duty to ensure the safety of the students." Mary wasn't sure how a comity formed of students was supposed to prevent future fires.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about", she said, making eye contact with Regina for the first time in the whole conversation.

"Oh, well, that's okay." The fake smile was gone, and now Regina looked as if she was plotting the death of an old enemy. "I do hope you realize what a mistake you've made." She stood up and walked away from their table.

"What's her problem? Is she, like, evil or something?" Mary asked Ruby as she picked up her backpack that Regina had nocked over as she left.

"You only realized that now?" Ruby chuckled, but Mary shot her a look that said she was serious. "Naw, but, really, she's like... like the Queen Of Evil."

"Evil Queen... yeah, I think that suits her."

* * *

The school had become the most depressing place that James had ever been. He was the only one in his social circle that had witnessed the fire. Katherine and her friends made a fuss over how dangerous it was, but the boys all thought that it was the coolest thing that had happened in ages.

The one thing that James couldn't get over was the fact that one of the other students that had not escaped the fire in time. He was alive, but he was severely burned and was in the hospital and probably would be for at least a few months. James was lucky that he and Mary had been able to navigate their way to the door.

It took longer than he cared to admit for him to realize who the boy in the hospital was. He had only seen him once, well at least he had only remembered seeing him once. He had been the one that James had seen Regina with, her secret boyfriend.

James made sure to keep his distance from Regina, for he seemed more irritable than she normally was, not that he blamed her. He wished that the fire had never happened, but no one could change the past.

* * *

**I'm sorry for not updating in such a long time, I've been extremely busy!**

**Thanks for reading, please review! ;-)**


	10. Questions

"Earth to James, are you there?" James felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of water over his head.

"Sorry, did I doze off again?" Mary giggled and nodded. They had been working on their science project for over an hour and still managed to get absolutely nothing done. It was at least nine o'clock by now, and James had been up late the night before. The had a big game coming up and he was supposed to be getting more sleep, but when Mary had asked if they could work on the project that night he had gone through the roof with excitement.

"I can't believe they expect us to focus on this project after what happened", Mary didn't need to explain, James knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I don't expect that many others will do it under the circumstances, although I doubt they would in the first place."

"My parents will kill me if I get a bad grade."

"And so will mine, but at least this time I'll have an excuse." Mary laughed and James's smile broadened, he loved it when he was able to make her laugh. "If we're not going to get anything done, then we should at least talk about something happy. I think we could both use an hour of not thinking about the fire."

"Ok." Mary was subconsciously playing with her long raven hair as they spoke. "How's football going?"

"We're loosing every game", James said. "But I don't think anyone expects anymore from the us. You should come to a game sometime."

"So I can watch you guys loose?"

"Yup, there's nothing more fun than watching your friend get creamed by kids three times his size." Mary laughed again.

"Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun."

* * *

Xander was beginning to hate school more and more. He hated the way that the other students looked at him as he walked with his cane. They thought that when they snickered it was behind his back, but he knew everything that was said about him. It wasn't wise to get on his bad side and, if he was in a vengeful mood, those people should be scared. Lucky for them, he didn't have the time to exact revenge on everyone who made a rude comment when they thought he wasn't listening.

Xander sat alone at lunch, thinking about nothing in particular, when he heard a some-what familiar voice. "Hi, do you mind if I sit here?" He looked up to see Belle French standing in font of the seat across from him.

"Not at all", he gave her a friendly smile that he rarely used in this setting.  
"I heard about the fire, are you alright?" Her voice was full of a genuine concern.

"I'll survive."

"It must have been very...shocking..." she pursed her lips as if trying to think of a better word than "shocking", but Xander nodded for her to go on. "How did it even start in the first place?"

"Yes, how did the fire start?" They both looked up to see Regina Mills standing a few feet away from there table. Xander wondered how long she had been standing there, and was surprised that he hadn't noticed, he was always so aware of his surroundings.

"Regina", he said with a solemn expression. "It seems you've forgotten the order of the lunchroom. I believe your table is over there."

Xander pointed to where Regina's friends were sitting.

Regina smirked, and slid into one of the empty chairs. "May I have a word with you, Gold?" She glanced at Belle and added: "Alone."

Xander didn't say anything, and after a moment of awkward silence, Belle stood up and mumbled something about leaving her water bottle in her locker and hurried off in the direction of the hall.

"What do you want, Your Majesty?" Xander asked the moment Belle was out of earshot. To his surprise, Regina didn't wince at the mockery, she kept her face cool so that it was impossible to read her thoughts.

"I want to know who started the fire", she said without hesitation. "I know that you know."

"And what makes you think that I'm going to tell you?"

"I know that your younger brother is a part of that mentorship program that starts next month." Regina said, and Xander nodded. "I just hope that his experience is a positive one, and not filled with the harsh reality that you've grown so accustom to."

"Blackmailing me can be rather dangerous, dearie." He said with a slight chuckle. "Are you sure you're willing to take that risk?"

"Yes. Now, tell me, who started the fire?"

"I still don't see why this concerns you. You weren't in the science room when it happened."

"That isn't any of your business."

"It is if you want an answer." Regina sneered, and Xander repressed the urge to grin.

"A friend of mine was hurt in the fire", she said after a long hesitation.

"I see", Xander waited a moment, until he was sure that Regina wasn't going to say more. "And you want revenge on whoever's responsible." Regina didn't nod, but she didn't deny it either. "What exactly were you planing to do to them?"

"That's my business", she snapped. "And you've stalled for long enough. Tell me who it was."

"I believe he goes by Whale", Xander finally said.

"I see", Regina looked out into the distance as she stood from her chair and walked to her regular table, without even giving Xander a second glance.

Xander knew that none of Regina's so called "friends" had been present for the fire, much less injured. Regina was keeping a secret that he would soon get to the bottom of. Xander knew everything about the school and the people in it, and that wasn't about to change.

* * *

**Thanks to Scarlet Phlame, Raquel, Viky16melendez, and Guest for reviewing!**


	11. Problems

James was on his way to lunch, when he heard raised voices from across the hall. He turned his head in that direction and saw that it was Regina and Whale. That meant trouble. The hallway was empty, which meant that all of the other students had the sense to get out as far away from angry Regina and the fish target as possible. Just keep walking, it's not any of your business. He told himself, but curiosity got the better of him, and he quickly ducked behind a trash can. He could hear the conversation loud and clear. He chided himself for spying, again, but he wanted to know what Whale had done wrong this time.

"You just think you're so clever, don't you?" He heard Regina say. "But, see, here's the thing. You're like a fish out of water! You don't belong here, you belong with those other freaks in a 'special school'."

Instead of trying come up with a witty retort, Whale laughed. It wasn't a real laugh, it sounded hollow and empty. Those kind of laughs had always made James cringe. The funny thing was that he usually heard it coming from the very person who was now being mocked by it.

"See, it's just such a shame that you have noting better to do with your life than to hurl petty insults at me." Whale smirked as he spoke. "Hurting others isn't going to make you happy. It's only going to-"

"I'm listening to a lecture from the idiot who set the science complex on fire", she said cutting him off. Whale's smirk vanished, and James questioned for a moment if he had heard her correctly. How did she know that Whale had started the fire? She hadn't been there, and he doubted that anyone would have told her.

"See, you can't hide anything that happens in this school from me, I always get what I want, no matter what. And right now, I want you to pay for what you've done." James was thankful that he wasn't the one being spoken to, for Regina's tone was enough to make anyone shiver.

"Goddamn spoiled bastard." Was all that Whale managed to say.

"Resorting to swearing, now, are we?" Regina asked with a wicked smirk. "I suspected someone of your so-called 'intellect' would have some ammunition prepared."

"Nothing you can give me. But, know this. I will have my revenge on you, if it is the last thing I do." With that, Regina turned and walked away. James could tell that she was plotting something, and he wanted to know what.

James was late to lunch, but he wasn't the one that cared. He slid into his usual seat, between Katherine and Michael. Ever since he and Katherine had started dating, their two groups had merged together. James opened his lunch, silently, not listen to the conversation that Katherine and Michael were having. He hadn't even bothered to say "hi" to either of them. A few seconds later, Katherine stood up and walked towards the water fountain.

"Dude, you are like the worst boyfriend ever," Adam mused, bring James out of his trance.

"Yeah," Michael agreed in his usual to-loud-for-this-conversation volume.

"Whatever," James didn't even bother to deny it, because he was afraid to hear their counter argument.

"Do you even like her?" Adam's voice was hushed now. James didn't answer, and Michael gasped before looking around to make sure that no one else at the table had heard their conversation.

"I'm not talking about it here," was all that James said.

* * *

Mary drummed on her table awkwardly, Ruby was absent, and that meant that she had to do her best to get through the day alone. "Is this seat taken?" Came a voice from behind her. Mary turned around to see a girl with a sheepish smile.

"No," Mary answered smiling back. "You're Regina's friend, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately," she answered. "But don't tell anyone I said that. My name's Skye."

"I'm Mary Margaret, but most people call me Mary. What do you mean 'unfortunately'?" Mary asked.

"Well, you know Regina. She's kinda..." Skye's voice trailed off.

"Mean?" Mary suggested.

"Yeah."

* * *

**I know I haven't updated in too long, and I don't know if any one is still reading this. I promise I am not giving up on this story, and plan to update more frequently. Please review! **


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